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Saturday, November 26, 2016

I chose the November 7, 2016 Silversea Expedition cruise on
the Silver Discoverer from Singapore to Indonesia to Myanmar’s Mergui
Archipelago because it was on Silversea Expedition’s oldest and smallest ship
and the itinerary is a mix of expeditions with no real tie between them.

Silversea Expeditions' Silver Discoverer
An Early Morning Expedition

How does that make sense?
I figure that if Silversea Expeditions can provide a remarkable
experience with this challenging combination then it can most certainly deliver
on its newer, larger, ships with more cohesive itineraries.

The short answer is:
The Expedition Staff of the Silver Discoverer came through with flying
colors. They – with the odds against
them due to the ship arriving in Singapore a day late and with work from the
drydock still incomplete – provided a unique, enriching and enjoyable
experience that has made the adventure well worth it.

A Percula Clown a/k/a Nemo

The longer answer is, as also addressed in this article, is
that, frustratingly, there is significant room for improvement on the hotel
side of things. While most of the needed
improvements are easily addressed through training or minor changes, what follows
may seem like a rather harsh critique.
However, the reality is that most of the issues are easily addressed
and/or shouldn’t otherwise cause one to hesitate taking an expedition cruise on
her.

I am a bit baffled why Silversea would essentially be
undercutting its own product by promoting it as if the Expedition product is essentially
a twin of the Classic product. The Expedition
product is an exceptional one, but is focused on the journey with the ship
being a tool to assist rather than being the focus.

An Expedition cruise allows you to really spend time with locals
in a casual setting

Put another way, the most significant thing to understand
when booking a Silversea Expedition cruise is that you are not booking a
classic Silversea ocean cruise. The
reality is there is very little in common between a classic cruise and an
expedition cruise…including the mindset of the appropriate guests.

By setting expectations properly it eliminates a sour note
when guests board the ship and entering their accommodations expecting grandeur
and a “suite”, but finding an older ship design with a few rough edges and “stateroom. I would lose any reference to “elegant
casual” dress or a Silversea fine dining experience. (The idea is to have
guests’ expectations exceeded; not defeated.)

That said, the Silver Discoverer works really well as an
Expedition ship. Her small size, open
decks, shallow draft and stern-located tender platform allow her to do things and
go places that a classic cruise ship (even smaller ones) cannot do. I like her and I would sail on her again
without hesitation.

Silversea Silver Discoverer Delivered the Promised Expedition

Even With the Ship Being Late

So how and why did I enjoy my Silversea Expedition Silver
Discoverer experience? I was supposed to
receive an Expedition and an Expedition is what I received!

Expedition cruising
makes beautiful places like this a daily experience

With the ship being a day late, the challenge to do so was
insignificant, so observing how they were able to turn an eleven day itinerary
into a ten day one and still provide the full experience was an added bonus for
me.

As an expedition experience there are only a few times that
the ship is “scheduled” to be in a particular port (unlike a classic cruise
ship that has its ports arranged and pretty much set in stone). Incredibly, with the captain and expedition
leader working together – and with the cooperation of the authorities – they
were able to deliver just about everything that was promised from the number of
snorkeling and dive opportunities, to scheduled port calls, to onshore
experiences. And it was done with one
day omitted from the itinerary. (Usually
a stop would be eliminated to catch up with the planned itinerary, right?)

In order to accomplish this, and because it is an “expedition”,
asking guests to be ready to go at 6:00 a.m. on a couple of occasions to was
deftly done and complied with without a complaint; though some groaning. When one is on an expedition cruise the
guests’ flexibility is key.

The Expedition Staff Excelled

Each of the Expedition Staff has a specialty and each one is
personable and easily relatable. Whether
it was the resident “bird nerd’ (who pretty much is a nerd about everything)
having an excited discussion about his disappointment nobody took a photograph
of a dead rat observed on a shoreside visit or a thoughtful and engaging talk
on the palm oil dilemma or a lecture on climate change or local culture, these
same folks hopped into zodiacs and the water making sure we were both safe and
intellectually got as much out of each visit as we, individually, wanted. They dined with us, socialized with us and
made us feel at home. That is a true
talent and invaluable to an expedition experience.

Many of the stops we made for first times for this
ship. Zodiacs were sent out not only to
figure out which beach had the best snorkeling or diving, the logistics of
getting everyone onshore safely, but what should be expected from the currents,
water temperature, marine life, etc. In
port arranging for a dozen minivans hobbled together since tourism (especially
Western tourism) is all but non-existent…and with guides. Or even having a police escort to assure we
did not get caught up in traffic that would have made an extremely long trip
even longer…and possibly cause a port to be missed. It is not easy making all this happen, but the
Expedition Team of the Silver Discoverer did it time and time again.

The Expedition Staff dines with the guests and not just on
Elegant Casual nights when invitations are sent out. It really adds to your experience when you
can chat with the Expedition leaders not only about the day’s experiences, but
who they are as individuals.

Expedition Ship Reality: This
Ain’t No Classic Cruise

There is no question that the Silver Discoverer is an old
ship and needs some TLC; especially if she is associated with the luxury of
Silversea. Before reading my criticisms
of the ship remember that she will be taking you to places where others cannot;
so her shortcomings that cannot be easily corrected are, to me, well worth
enduring. However, you need to be sure
they are for you!

The accommodations, including my Veranda Suite (one of the
top categories) are not suites, but staterooms with (very) small
bathrooms. The stateroom cabinetry is not
new, but the staterooms are comfortable (when the air conditioning is working
properly). The bathrooms are well
designed and have wonderful, modern, higher end finishes. Also buffing up the staterooms up are
fantastic linens, Bulgari amenities, a stocked refrigerator, etc., plus they
are kept immaculately clean and have butler service. (My butler polished my boat shoes twice;
making me feel a bit guilty for using them as intended!)

Your Silversea Butler

That said, there are times when the water runs brown and
other times when it doesn’t run at all (not often). There are issues with the air conditioning
(this area is too cold, that area is too warm).
The teak decks are in need of work and a serious cleaning due to the refurbishment.
And some steel surfaces could use sandblasting and repainting. The lighting desperately needs to be updated and
brightened especially in the dining room, reception and stairwells. It is obvious that the wrong color light
bulbs were recently installed, but nothing was done to correct the situation…or
even acknowledging the problem. (This is one thing that just baffled me as the
problem was immediately obvious when the bulbs were installed!)

Wrong color light bulbs turn this inviting sitting area
into an uncomfortable and dark space

Also, there were some “upgrades” that were installed during
the drydock that, to me, are misses. The
buffet installed in the Restaurant is of an old design (and with the sneeze
guard so low that you cannot reach the food at the rear) that lends itself to
less than creatively presentations – with virtually (if not literally) the same
items offered at each breakfast and lunch in identical serving trays lined up
in a row. Creative presentation costs
nothing!!!

The Discoverer Lounge (which is where breakfast and lunch used
to be served) is now a rather barren looking space to relax in or play cards (though
it does have a good coffee/espresso maker).
It was used regularly by a few of the guests, but they tended to only
use the more comfortable chairs which are located in the four corners of the
lounge. Why those chairs were not used
throughout, I haven’t a clue.

Silver Discoverer's Discoverer Lounge

Somewhat incongruently, High Tea is served in the Discoverer Lounge each day; which to me seems inconsistent with the expedition nature of
the product, but some did enjoy it. I
did enjoy the tea offerings on a few occasions.
The fingers sandwiches were fine, but the scones were merely OK and whipped
rather than clotted cream was provided.

The Staff is Friendly, the Cuisine OK, But Both Need Significant
Training

Also, while the Officers, Expedition Staff, Butlers and
Guest Relations (even most stewards and stewardesses) are fluent in English and
perform to a luxury level, the wait and bar staff have varying degrees of
proficiency with English, and although they work with a pleasing approach, are
generally slow and not sufficient polished to be considered luxury, or even
premium, service.

The impression I have is that the bar staff actually has had
no training whatsoever, so drinks are poured inconsistently and cocktails are
essentially non-existent. Too frequently
flat tonic or sparking water instead of club soda was used in drinks. I consistently asked for Tanqueray gin and
was given Bombay Sapphire (presumably as an upgrade). I dared not ask for a rum punch no less
anything more complicated; noting that the bars are sparsely stocked with
liquors and ingredients. (In contrast, after
I disembarked the Silver Discoverer I spent one day at The Slate, in
Phuket. Each complex cocktail was
perfectly created down to the symmetry of the sliced fruit. It highlighted the Silver Discoverer’s bar
staff’s weakness and how it truly affected any possible perception of a “luxury”
experience.)

The same can be said for most (not all) of the wait
staff. At breakfast I was never offered
poached or fried eggs or omelets. If you
request them, they are available, but you have to flag down a waiter. Similarly, bagels are not presented on the
buffet, so again, if you want it you need to know to ask.

One of my pet peeves is a waiter reaching across me to
remove a plate and that is consistently done.
When dining by the pool, another pet peeve: Dirty forks are not replaced, but rather
taken off your plate and put on the placemat to be used for your second course.
Yuk! If you get up during your meal,
your napkin is neither replaced or refolded.
These are simple training issues that can make a world of difference;
especially when attempt to present a luxury product.

Communication is also an issue with a good number of the
wait staff not really having a command of English…even on simple things. As an infuriating example, I am pretty good
with my wines, but I could never understand what the descriptions were…which
were clearly memorized - not known - by the wine stewards – and delivered with
thick accents and mispronunciations.
Thus you were pretty much in a less than luxury or premium experience
merely choosing between “white or red” (both being held in one hand) with no –
or only one - alternative readily available.
Were the wine stewards nice
people? Yes. Did they do their
best? Yes. But if they are not properly trained there is
no way they perform to an expected level.

Little touches are needed or are inconsistently provided
such as continental breakfast in the lounge (or, better, would be on deck) when
you are up at sunrise, mimosas and orange juice when you return, a culturally
relevant culinary surprise midday on deck or at high tea, etc.

Similarly, the cuisine is OK, but not luxury or what one
would expect on a Silversea classic fleet cruise. It isn’t bad, but nothing was really
memorable. Breakfast is literally
identical every day with a modest buffet (you can order eggs or an omelet but
the waiters do not offer it to you) and lunch is also a buffet with many
repetitive items. Croissants seem to be
frozen and tasteless as are most breads.
(I had expected some crusty Italian bread on Silversea, but none was to
be had; not even the baguettes that occasionally appeared. Lunch at the pool
provides a very limited menu with only the fish of the day changing.

Silver Discoverer in Kawthoung, Myanmar

In the Dining Room, misses like “pan seared” fish clearly never
having seen a pan, but merely baked are common.
The only dinner that caught my attention at all was the Indian themed
one. Personally, I felt uncomfortable
with the chef appearing each evening and going to each table seeking praise…especially
when she had to know the quality of what was coming out of her galley.

But, with all of these issues, the cuisine wasn’t terrible,
the breads were fresh and the wines were acceptable. But with just a little effort it all could be
so much better.

Overall Experience

From the cuisine and cutting edge architecture of Singapore
to the orangutans of Belawan, Indonesia to the tsunami-ravaged Banda Aceh,
Indonesia to the mystery and tension in Kawthaong, Myanmar to the natural
wonders and Moken people of Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago, Silversea Expeditions
delivered a very full and enriching eleven days.

Silversea Expeditions Silver Discoverer at sunset

To be sure, expedition cruising is not for everyone. You need to be able to look and live past the
discomfort of heat and humidity (or cold and wet), possibly constantly changing
itineraries, less than optimal transportation, less than luxurious
accommodations and a few misses. Not
everyone can or wants to.

But if you do…or are willing to try it once…expedition
cruising with Silversea Expeditions can be incredibly rewarding.

If you would like more information or would like to book your Silversea Expedition or other exotic cruise, please give us a call:

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Our journey on the Silversea Expedition's Silver Discoverer cruise through the Mergui Archipeligo continues with arrival off the coast of Pu Nala Island and Bo Cho Village (also referred to as
Bo Cho Island and Ma Kyone Galet) where the Myanmar and Thai governments
coordinated the “resettlement” of the Mokan (Sea Gypsy) people.

Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar

We
are some of the first tourists to visit this resettlement; most certainly an
exciting and interesting opportunity and experience.

Bo Cho Village Resettlement of Mokan (Sea Gypsies)

That said…

Mokan houses usually on stilts

A display of dried squid

The
rationale apparently is that the Mokans wander between the two countries and
also have a number of societal issues (poverty, drug use, etc.), but there is
no way to control or assist them.So the
Myanmar government created a new village for them, with their houses being
essentially in their traditional form, but with an Italian NGO assisting in
providing each home with fresh water and sanitary systems, a school and a
community medical center (which consists really of two midwives and not much
more…yet.) The story does not end there, however!

A display of partially built squid traps

The
Mokan aren’t the only people living in Bo Cho, but rather there are five different
ethnic groups, with the Mokan living on the beach (as they have traditionally)
and the others living more upland and are the ones who run the school and shops
while the Mokan continue to fish for squid (as do some of the other ethic
groups). The story does not end there either!

Being
developed presently is a tourism plan, where people can come to see the
Mokans. A visitor center is coming
soon. I thought this a bit strange. Are we coming to engage the Mokans or see
them on display? We shall see.

We
were met by some very polite and enthusiastic young adults from the community
who are learning to be guides.They are
working hard to learn English and to explain the various interesting area of
the village such as the Mokan shrines, the Buddhist temple complex, the library
and the (show) planation that has one or two of various varieties of local
plants/trees.

My guide, Cherry, is the 19 year old librarian for the village.With one month of English study she did extremely well. By showing interest, taking it slow and asking questionsit made her more engaged. By the end of our time she toldher friend to tease me that she wanted me to be her father. (I, obviously, got special attention!)

There was also a very tightly orchestrated and intense singing of the national anthem at the school (with very few, if any, of the school-aged children actually interacting with us)

followed by a more lighthearted application of the sandalwood makeup many of the locals use. (It was originally used as sun protection, but now is more for beauty; used mostly by women, but some men as well.)

The traditional sandalwood makeup was offered to all of us

The
village is interesting. The people are
charming. I am very glad that I
went. BUT…and it is a BIG BUT…I cannot
help but think of the place more like an internment camp where the Mokan are
being rounded up because “It will be better for you there” while their culture
is essentially destroyed and they are put on show. This is not so dissimilar to what happened to
the Native Americans in the United States.

I
might think differently…at least a little…if the Mokan people had their input
into the process and, believe it or not, some time was spent discussing the
Moken people and their culture, rather than just showing us displays of some of their items, which was literally (not even virtually)
absent.

This Mokan woman is supposedly 100 years old.I am not sure how they know, but I also had no ideawhat she was saying to me (good or bad)!

But
this is what travel is about. It is
supposed to make you think and expose you to different things; some things that
are not so comfortable. If I had not
been here I would not have known of the Mokan, other than I knew Sea Gypsies
existed, or really anything about their way of life. I would not have observed efforts to develop
tourism…or the two sides (good and bad) of doing so.

Betel nut is quite popular with the older Mokan. When kept in your mouth it gives you a bit of a high..and orange teeth

I
did have one personal, selfish, disappointment:
I was going to have some of the local mohinga soup, but was told I had
to wait until after the tour of the village.
Well, by the time the tour was over the day’s supply of mohinga was
sold. Soooo disappointed. But as I was walking back to the zodiac, I
saw a woman preparing something. It was
fried banana and fried yams. She started
cooking them and, as I waited with anticipation, one of the expedition team
came over and said the last zodiac was waiting for me. Soooo disappointed.

Chili drying on a rooftop

Juxtaposed
to visiting Bo Cho, our Silver Discoverer cruise shifted dramatically:From this point on we are in a purely Silversea
Expedition beach, snorkel and diving cruise.We arrived at Frost Island; another beautiful beach with decent
snorkeling and beautiful weather.

Then
next morning was Shark Island (no there were no sharks) and was the best
snorkeling of the cruise as far as variety of fish and the size of the reef.

The
afternoon was, for me, the only disappointment as the Fork Island beach was
actually part of a local resort of sorts with no snorkeling and cloudy
skies. I did hear that diving was excellent. I would have preferred a pool party or
something of that sort, but others were happy to get off the boat and spend
time with sand between their toes.

Case
in point as to why one needs to be flexible when on an Expedition cruise: I’m thinking stay on the ship, others are thinking
toes in the sand and then there was the third group: A number of people had never seen hermit
crabs…and there were dozens of them…or seen a squirrel, some Australians
declaring their sighting as one of excited importance. I said that squirrels to me were the
equivalent of flying foxes (huge fruit bats) to them. After exchanging a few stories, we agreed.

On
last day we stopped at Kyet Mauk, or Cock’s Comb, Island for a 7:00 a.m. swim through an
archway into a protected cove. It
sounded a bit touristic (yes, even in Myanmar) and seeing a rope hanging to
guide one through it at higher tides didn’t help. But I figured it was the last stop on our
Silversea Expedition Silver Discoverer journey so I should do it. I am so very glad I did. This little spot had the best variety of
coral, probably the best variety of small fish, a massive school of a blue fish
(I need to identify) and, although I did not see them, a small school of barracuda.

Kyet Mauk Island - Swim under the arch into a protected underwater wonderland

The
point is, especially when in a remote part of the world, sometimes you need to
push yourself. Rather than sleeping in, having
your last spa appointment or starting to pack, take advantage of every
opportunity. I would have been sorely disappointed
if I hadn’t looked past my pre-conceived idea.

As
we now sail for Phuket, Thailand stopping back in Kawthaung, Myanmar to clear
immigration, it is time to reflect on my time on the Silversea Expeditions
Silver Discoverer. Check back for my
Reflections article!

If you would like more information or would like to book your Silversea Expedition or other exotic cruise, please give us a call:

Saturday, November 19, 2016

The
next day marked a rather dramatic change in our cruise on the Silversea
Expeditions Silver Discoverer. We left
Indonesia and set sail for Myanmar; but not the Myanmar visited by ocean and
river cruise lines. We are headed to the
Mergui Archipelago far to the south.

It
was a lazy morning at sea, but there were still the snorkel and dive safety briefing
and two lectures to attend. Speaking of
snorkeling and diving, if you snorkel Silversea Expeditions provides good
quality equipment so you need bring nothing.
If you are a diver, you have to bring your own equipment, but oxygen
tanks are provided. (On this sailing
there are only four divers, and most everyone else is at least giving
snorkeling a try.)

Kawthaung, MyanmarOne of the only signs I saw written in English

We
arrived off the coast of Kawthaung, Myanmar about an hour earlier than
scheduled so as to give the two dozen Myanmar immigration officials the
anticipated up to four hours to clear the ship.Between the ship arriving early and clearing immigration quicker than
anticipated we were off and ready to briefly explore this small port town.

A
short zodiac ride to awaiting minivans brought us to a few monuments, but
little to no explanation of what they were.It was a combination of the guides not really speaking English (classroom
English is one thing, but interacting with Westerners is a whole ‘nuther thing),
Westerners being more aggressive (wandering around rather than staying by the
guide) and, of course, the guide not wanting to offend by giving anyone
instructions.As the town isn’t large or
of particular importance in recent history, it was fine.

We
then were taken to a Buddhist monastery to walk around.

I wish I knew how to caption this photo!

(After the groups left
some from the ship that decided to just walk around arrived at the monastery and
were welcomed into a local ceremony that surprised, and delighted not only
them, but the locals.Sorry I missed
that!)But as we walked out of the
monastery I saw…Food!

I
asked the guide if I could try some.He
was a bit shocked, but off we went.Next
thing you know I had a choice of pig liver or pig snout.I figured the snout was safer. It was not
bad, but not memorable culinarily either.However, as a quick moment with the locals and seeing what they eat, it
was.

We
then were taken to a couple of souvenir shops, which just seemed to out of
place in this ramshackle town, and were given the option to either be driven
back to the ship or walk and explore.
Walk and explore it was! While I
will save some of my observations for the end of my trip, I will say that the
town was clearly “something” many years ago.
The British colonial architecture is everywhere, usually still visible
on the second and third floors, while the ground floor of most buildings seemed
to a shop of some sort. Intermingled
were more Asian-type buildings. Visually
it was very interesting.

As
I walked I smelled Food!I wandered
quickly through the small market (it was later in the day so most of the day’s business
had already been completed) and then saw a line of food stands along the pier-side.

As I surveyed the stands, there was a young
woman who never smiled, but made some sort of soup (which I now know is Mohinga,
a noodle soup with a fish sauce base – sort of the national dish) with
something like 20 or more ingredients.

Mohinga (a Burmese national dish) in the making. Now: How to get some for me?

But
I had two problems:The woman wouldn’t
look at me and I didn’t have any local currency.After I solved the first problem through
persistence (she was actually very shy because I am Western and also because
she spoke no English) the second problem solved with a tap on my back.A man, not saying a word, pointed me to the
equivalent of a cambio (change maker) across the street.I exchanged my remaining Singapore dollars
for Burmese Kyat.

Back
to the shop and I watched her deftly make this soup with a spoonful of this, a
shake of that, a squirt of fish sauce (I could identify that!), and more spoonfuls
of some other things. To this she added
two type of noodles that were cooked separately and the mixture was vigorously
mixed. Then a green thing I cannot
identify and a hardboiled egg were added.
On the side a delicious brown fish sauce based broth. It was spicy, smoky, sweet and just simply
delicious. A Top 10 of Street Food!

Mohinga - It it hard to capture the noodles and spices in this dark, thick, soup

When
I told the young woman that it was fantastic with a rubbing of my belly and two
thumbs up, she finally smiled…and it was a big genuine smile.

Complimenting the chef in any languageusually results in a big smile!

It
was then time to return to the ship.
Upon arriving at the zodiac driven by Scuba Steve, from New Zealand, I
said I could use a beer. He jumped up,
went into his bag and: A beer for the
ride back to the ship. Definitely a
Silversea Expedition Moment: Laid back, but spot on!

The
next day brought a dramatic change to the nature of our cruise. We are exploring remote islands. First up is Lampi Island, which is part of a national park…and a
very early morning as we headed out at sunrise to cruise the Lampi Channel
which runs between two islands.It would
have been nice if coffee and croissants were provided by the pool as we waited
for the zodiacs, but none was offered.(Room service or the coffee station inside were available, but a simple
thing like that would have made coffee on deck at sunrise a memorable thing.)

Early morning zodiac exploration on the Silversea ExpeditionsSilver Discoverer

We
saw, at a distance, some crab-eating macaques and a few birds, but honestly just
the natural beauty alone was worth getting up.As we traveled up the channel we did come across an illegal Moken
village (they are also known as Sea Gypsies that fish for squid and travel
between Myanmar and Thailand).

A Mokan village near Lampi Island, Myanmar

One of the hundreds of fishing boats that are seemingly everywhere

It
was then back to the ship (a greeting with Mimosas and orange juice would have
been nice) for breakfast and then a late morning zodiac trip to the nearby
mangroves.Early morning or late
afternoon would have been better for birding and such, but there is only so
much that can be fit into a day when there is significant ground (er’ um,
water) to cover.The expedition leader
in our zodiac was excellent in teaching about mangroves and spotting the few
birds that were out in the heat.

Mangroves in Myanmar

The
afternoon was spectacular with a visit to a remote beach that few, if any, have
ever visited. The scuba folks dove, the snorkels snorkeled and those that just
wanted the beach had that too.The
Expedition staff provided alcoholic drinks, beer, soft drinks, juices and
water.

My snorkeling buddy, BonnieScuba Steve's charming daughter

I found the snorkeling (with my
snorkel-buddy, Bonnie – Scuba Steve’s 12 year old daughter) to be quite good,
but not great.That is not a complaint,
but rather merely noting the water was not perfectly clear and the diversity of
fish was excellent, but the numbers of fish were just OK.

Percula Clownfish (a/k/a Nemo)Lampi Island National Park, Myanmar

That
evening a woman that has made a sport of complaining got into a rant about how
Silversea Expeditions should have had smaller zodiacs so that they could have
gone deeper into the mangroves…but while she was in the mangroves she was
miserable (dressed entirely inappropriately) and wanted nothing to do with it,
wanting to just get back to the ship.I
had had enough!I told her not to speak
to me for the remainder of the cruise and that if she wants to be miserable all
the time, she should do it on her time; not mine.What a relief!

Oh,
and because of her protest about wanting to go back to the ship, rather than exploring a barrier island protecting the mangrove, she missed
this:

I
didn’t! And I got to say, once again, "WOW!"

Let me be clear, the Silversea Expedition Silver Discoverer is an older ship with a number of quirks, but it has a friendly, enthusiastic and talented expedition staff and a mindset of exploration and doing the things that will bring the guests real life memories; not necessarily of the spa or dining experience. But that isn't why you go on an expedition cruise anyway, is it?

Just
sayin’!

If you would like more information or would like to book your Silversea Expedition or other exotic cruise, please give us a call: